Part 6: back to the center -part 1-

"E-Everything ended in three minutes…? In the end, I was going to lose either way... K-Kuso… I'm lucky I'm not dead. Moon Blood... that's no ordinary gun."

As the area surrounding the hotel filled with blaring sirens and flashing lights, police cars barricaded the building from every angle. Epsilon managed to escape—barely—through one of the upper back exits.

The pain in his leg was excruciating. But with sheer will, he treated the wound just enough to stay mobile. While the police focused on locking down the building, he slipped into the shadows.

Meanwhile, Maya…

She had done what no one before her had ever done.

Not only had she faced a Deadly Character—

She wounded one.

And survived.

That shot from Moon Blood wasn't just luck… right?

Maybe it was.

Maybe it wasn't.

What happened that night wasn't supposed to be possible—not in a world where the Organization reigned supreme… not after years of watching the Criminal Hunters fall again and again.

But maybe…

Just maybe…

This fight wasn't about winning.

Maybe it was about something else entirely.

Whatever it was, one thing was certain:

Deadly Character Epsilon had lost.

Back on the road, Epsilon activated his motorcycle's self-driving mode.

"Go to the center."

His voice was flat, expression unreadable.

He sat in silence as the wind cooled the sweat on his face, his mind lost in fragments of the battle—replaying Maya's words over and over.

Eventually, the motorcycle rolled to a stop in front of a dark, hidden facility—the Organization's central headquarters.

Limping badly, he dismounted. The pain was sharp, but manageable. He forced himself to walk—masking his injury. Thankfully, no one would see him. The entrance he used was known only to the elite: the Deadly Characters.

The secret path.

The dark corridor that led straight into the heart of the Organization's underground stronghold.

Each step echoed.

Each thought blurred with doubt.

("I joined the forces of the Criminals' Hunters to bring peace to this continent... the one we built our dreams on…")

("So for that, I must win this fight… and make the dream come true.")

Those words.

Maya's words.

They wouldn't stop repeating in his head.

"Is there… something I'm not being told?"

His fist clenched instinctively as he reached the Orders Room. He signed in his presence, his expression blank—until he saw a small note left for him.

"The Boss wants you."

He didn't hesitate.

He headed for the top level—the one reserved only for high-tier agents. A place cloaked in silence and shadows.

Inside the Boss's Room:

"What was that?!""You could've eliminated Naitkor the moment you arrived. Are you getting soft again, Epsilon?!"

The voice of the Boss was sharp—cutting through the air like a whip.

"You know we never assign targets without full analysis. We knew everything about her. That woman—she had no chance. So tell me… What. Happened. To. You?"

Epsilon's voice was ice.

"I admit it was my mistake. I have no excuses, Boss. You can punish me however you see fit."

The Boss ran a hand across his face in disbelief, slowly raising his head with dramatic intensity.

"Ahh! I can't believe this is happening.""This is the second time you've failed—because of mercy.Since when did you start going soft on your enemies?!""Are you questioning the Organization's justice?""Or has your thirst for killing finally reached its limit?"

Another pause.

Epsilon's voice was steady, emotionless:

"I think… I need time. Time to regain myself."

"Regain… yourself?"The Boss blinked, then exhaled sharply.

"Hmph. That's the strangest thing I've ever heard from you."

He stood up from his towering chair and stepped forward.

"Fine. I'll give you what you want.""From this moment forward, you're on temporary leave. Don't return until the Organization calls for you."

"Understood. Thank you, sir."

As Epsilon turned to leave, his posture seemed even colder than before. His face wasn't filled with regret, nor fear, nor even confusion.

It was emptiness.

An emptiness he once used to embrace...

Now felt foreign.

Yes—this is what being a Deadly Character is supposed to feel like.

Detached.

Uncaring.

Loyal.

FX: Slow Motion

Step... Step...

"EPSILON!!!"

The Boss's voice echoed one last time before the grand doors slammed shut.

"Don't forget who you are!"

"You're one of the best agents in the Special Organization—no—the most terrifying one."

"You are the embodiment of fear. The shadow that haunts every enemy of the Organization."

"If God had not created you as a human… He would have made you a beast without mercy."

"Remember that, you demonic monster."

Epsilon didn't respond.

He didn't turn back.

He just kept walking—

—silently into the dark.